Aubrey Johnson is a New York-based vocalist, composer, and educator who specializes in jazz, Brazilian, and creative contemporary music with and without words. She holds a Master of Music degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory and and Bachelor of Music degree in jazz performance from Western Michigan University.
She released her debut album, Unraveled, of her own compositions and arrangements, produced by Steve Rodby of the Pat Metheny Group, on Outside In Music in 2020. In 2022, she released Play Favorites, a duo album with pianist Randy Ingram, on Sunnyside Records. She currently teaches in the Jazz Department at Montclair State University, and in Jazz Masters Program at Queens College in New York City. She has also held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music.
As an undergraduate student Western Michigan University, Aubrey was a member of Gold Company, the university’s world- renowned vocal jazz ensemble, and studied classical and jazz voice. As a college student, Aubrey won two DownBeat Collegiate Student Music Awards for “Best Jazz Vocalist” and “Jazz Vocalist, Outstanding Performance.” She recorded and performed the original compositions of pianist Ron DiSalvio, featuring legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb. Her work with Cobb/DiSalvio can be heard on their 2007 Origin Records release “Essence of Green”, and “Songs For Jazz Legends” (BluJazz, 2015).
In 2007 she relocated to Boston to pursue a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at the New England Conservatory, where she studied with Danilo Perez, Jerry Bergonzi, Dominique Eade, Allan Chase, George Garzone, and Frank Carlberg. While at NEC, Aubrey founded, directed and arranged for an official vocal jazz ensemble at the school. In 2009, Aubrey graduated with honors, was awarded the “Gunther Schuller Medal” for “making an extraordinary contribution to the life of the school,” and won her third DownBeat Magazine Collegiate Student Music Award, for outstanding performance in jazz voice.
In 2009 and 2010, Aubrey performed (singing wordlessly and playing auxiliary keyboards) with Lyle Mays (keyboardist of the Pat Metheny Group), including shows at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Also in 2010, she recorded on Bobby McFerrin’s Grammy-nominated EmArcy release “VOCAbuLaries.”
In 2011, Aubrey moved to New York City where she currently resides. In New York, she has made appearances at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Kaufman Center, The Kitano, Cornelia St. Café, The Stone, Shapeshifter Lab, the Jazz Gallery, BAM Café, Rockwood Music Hall, Club Bonafide, Smalls, Mezzrow, Roulette, Le Poisson Rouge, and the National Opera Center, with many different ensembles and artists. She has recorded and/or performed with Billy Childs, Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), Fred Hersch’s Pocket Orchestra, Sara Serpa, John Zorn’s Mycale Vocal Quartet, Joe Phillips’ Numinous Ensemble, Andrew Rathbun’s Large Ensemble, Rose and the Nightingale, Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, Jason Yeager, Randy Ingram, and with her own band (Tomoko Omura, Alex LoRe, Chris McCarthy, Matt Aronoff, Jay Sawyer). Among the 40+ albums, Aubrey has appeared on as a side-person are Arturo O’Farrill’s Grammy Award-winning album, Four Questions, and Lyle Mays’ final album Eberhard, which won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition in 2021. Her performing and teaching has taken her throughout the US and Canada, China, Taiwan, Europe, and South America.
Most recently, Aubrey was awarded a month-long composition residency at the prestigious MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, and awarded the Chamber Music America Performance Plus Grant to compose and record a new album under the mentorship of Billy Childs.